the work of God

This morning I read from the wisdom of Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes. The following words caught my attention - Notice the way God does things; then fall into line. Don’t fight the ways of God, for who can straighten out what he has made crooked? (Ecclesiastes 7:13, New Living Translation)

The older I get, the more acutely aware I am of the need to be conscious of and responsive to the ongoing, current work of God. How can we walk in harmony with God if we have no idea of His way of doing things?

The work of God and His way of doing things falls into two realms. God has set principles and laws into place that govern the universe. There are financial parameters, relational parameters, parameters in the realm of physics and in the realm of the production of food. If we do not understand the laws He set into place that govern the universe, we are doomed to failure. For instance, if we ignore the law of gravity we can be assured of a great deal of pain. While these principles may not appear to be spiritual from our perspective, they are the God ordained framework on which creation operates. This realm is the governmental work of God; it does not change from generation to generation.

Then there is the ongoing work of God; the current things that God seeks to accomplish today. This work is frequently on a more personal level although it also occurs on the governmental level, both in the church and in nations, as well. It frequently has to do with redemption, healing, and correcting the mess we as humans create.

In both realms, the work of God is tangible and very real. It frequently appears much less spiritual than we might think it would or should. While creation and the principles that govern it is orderly, the ongoing work of God commonly appears chaotic.

If we are going to succeed in life, then we must fall into line with God’s way of doing things. If we no clue of His work, at best we can only hope to intermittently stumble into his blessing and at worst we will oppose His hand. The words of the song “Open the Eyes of My Heart” are so true – Open the eyes of my heart Lord, I want to see You.